<?xml version="1.0" encoding="us-ascii"?>
<!--Generated by Broadridge PROfile 23.3.1.5138 Broadridge-->
<link:linkbase xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/linkbase http://www.xbrl.org/2003/xbrl-linkbase-2003-12-31.xsd" xmlns:link="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/linkbase" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xbrli="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance" xmlns:t1="http://xbrl.org/2005/xbrldt">
  <link:roleRef roleURI="http://xbrl.sec.gov/ecd/role/PvpAdjustmentsOnly" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="https://xbrl.sec.gov/ecd/2022q4/ecd-2022q4.xsd#PvpAdjustmentsOnly" />
  <link:arcroleRef arcroleURI="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/all" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="http://www.xbrl.org/2005/xbrldt-2005.xsd#all" />
  <link:arcroleRef arcroleURI="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/dimension-default" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="http://www.xbrl.org/2005/xbrldt-2005.xsd#dimension-default" />
  <link:arcroleRef arcroleURI="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/dimension-domain" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="http://www.xbrl.org/2005/xbrldt-2005.xsd#dimension-domain" />
  <link:arcroleRef arcroleURI="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/domain-member" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="http://www.xbrl.org/2005/xbrldt-2005.xsd#domain-member" />
  <link:arcroleRef arcroleURI="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/hypercube-dimension" xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="http://www.xbrl.org/2005/xbrldt-2005.xsd#hypercube-dimension" />
  <link:definitionLink xlink:type="extended" xlink:role="http://xbrl.sec.gov/ecd/role/PvpAdjustmentsOnly">
    <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="https://xbrl.sec.gov/ecd/2022q4/ecd-2022q4.xsd#ecd_AllAdjToCompMember" xlink:label="AllAdjToCompMember" xlink:title="AllAdjToCompMember" />
    <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="maa-20230516.xsd#maa_StockAndOptionAwardValuesReportedInSCTMember" xlink:label="StockAndOptionAwardValuesReportedInSCTMember" xlink:title="StockAndOptionAwardValuesReportedInSCTMember" />
    <link:definitionArc xlink:type="arc" xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/domain-member" xlink:from="AllAdjToCompMember" xlink:to="StockAndOptionAwardValuesReportedInSCTMember" xlink:title="definition: AllAdjToCompMember to StockAndOptionAwardValuesReportedInSCTMember" order="1.0" />
    <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="maa-20230516.xsd#maa_FairValueForStockAndOptionAwardsGrantedMember" xlink:label="FairValueForStockAndOptionAwardsGrantedMember" xlink:title="FairValueForStockAndOptionAwardsGrantedMember" />
    <link:definitionArc xlink:type="arc" xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/domain-member" xlink:from="AllAdjToCompMember" xlink:to="FairValueForStockAndOptionAwardsGrantedMember" xlink:title="definition: AllAdjToCompMember to FairValueForStockAndOptionAwardsGrantedMember" order="2.0" />
    <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="maa-20230516.xsd#maa_ChangeInFairValueOfOutstandingUnvestedStockAndOptionAwardsFromPriorYearsMember" xlink:label="ChangeInFairValueOfOutstandingUnvestedStockAndOptionAwardsFromPriorYearsMember" xlink:title="ChangeInFairValueOfOutstandingUnvestedStockAndOptionAwardsFromPriorYearsMember" />
    <link:definitionArc xlink:type="arc" xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/domain-member" xlink:from="AllAdjToCompMember" xlink:to="ChangeInFairValueOfOutstandingUnvestedStockAndOptionAwardsFromPriorYearsMember" xlink:title="definition: AllAdjToCompMember to ChangeInFairValueOfOutstandingUnvestedStockAndOptionAwardsFromPriorYearsMember" order="3.0" />
    <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="maa-20230516.xsd#maa_ChangeInFairValueOfStockAndOptionAwardsFromPriorYearsThatVestedMember" xlink:label="ChangeInFairValueOfStockAndOptionAwardsFromPriorYearsThatVestedMember" xlink:title="ChangeInFairValueOfStockAndOptionAwardsFromPriorYearsThatVestedMember" />
    <link:definitionArc xlink:type="arc" xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/domain-member" xlink:from="AllAdjToCompMember" xlink:to="ChangeInFairValueOfStockAndOptionAwardsFromPriorYearsThatVestedMember" xlink:title="definition: AllAdjToCompMember to ChangeInFairValueOfStockAndOptionAwardsFromPriorYearsThatVestedMember" order="4.0" />
    <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="maa-20230516.xsd#maa_FairValueOfStockAndOptionAwardsForfeitedMember" xlink:label="FairValueOfStockAndOptionAwardsForfeitedMember" xlink:title="FairValueOfStockAndOptionAwardsForfeitedMember" />
    <link:definitionArc xlink:type="arc" xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/domain-member" xlink:from="AllAdjToCompMember" xlink:to="FairValueOfStockAndOptionAwardsForfeitedMember" xlink:title="definition: AllAdjToCompMember to FairValueOfStockAndOptionAwardsForfeitedMember" order="5.0" />
    <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="maa-20230516.xsd#maa_AggregateChangeInActuarialPresentValueOfAccumulatedBenefitUnderPensionPlansMember" xlink:label="AggregateChangeInActuarialPresentValueOfAccumulatedBenefitUnderPensionPlansMember" xlink:title="AggregateChangeInActuarialPresentValueOfAccumulatedBenefitUnderPensionPlansMember" />
    <link:definitionArc xlink:type="arc" xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/domain-member" xlink:from="AllAdjToCompMember" xlink:to="AggregateChangeInActuarialPresentValueOfAccumulatedBenefitUnderPensionPlansMember" xlink:title="definition: AllAdjToCompMember to AggregateChangeInActuarialPresentValueOfAccumulatedBenefitUnderPensionPlansMember" order="6.0" />
    <link:loc xlink:type="locator" xlink:href="maa-20230516.xsd#maa_AggregateServiceCostAndPriorServiceCostForPensionPlansMember" xlink:label="AggregateServiceCostAndPriorServiceCostForPensionPlansMember" xlink:title="AggregateServiceCostAndPriorServiceCostForPensionPlansMember" />
    <link:definitionArc xlink:type="arc" xlink:arcrole="http://xbrl.org/int/dim/arcrole/domain-member" xlink:from="AllAdjToCompMember" xlink:to="AggregateServiceCostAndPriorServiceCostForPensionPlansMember" xlink:title="definition: AllAdjToCompMember to AggregateServiceCostAndPriorServiceCostForPensionPlansMember" order="7.0" />
  </link:definitionLink>
</link:linkbase>
